***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, my question is two-fold as follows: 1) When a person says the “sinner’s prayer” to receive Jesus as their Savior but goes on living in sin (fornicating, drugs, etc.), are they really saved? 2) If such a person continues openly sinning, should they still be baptized?

ANSWER: Jesus said if you love me, you will obey me, meaning His Word. Only God knows for certain, but while a person may struggle with sin in their life, they can still be saved. I think the key is if they are struggling with sin or simply have given in to sin and don’t care. In the end, only God knows a heart, but it is difficult to think a person who has truly committed their life to the Lord can blatantly sin with no remorse. As for baptism, as 1 John states in talking about Believers, if we say we don’t sin we are liars. Sadly, we ALL fall short, and that should not stop a Believer from making that symbolic profession of faith thru baptism.

I want to take a moment today to stand up and APPLAUD the Boy Scouts of America and Chick-fil-A. It is so rare in this day of being politically correct and compromise, to see anyone take a bold and principled stand for Biblical Truth. In this day of gutless pastors like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren, modern day Judases like David Barton, John Hagee, and James Robison, it is refreshing to see that not everyone is afraid to take a stand for God’s Truth!!!

The Boy Scouts and fast-food chain Chick-fil-A have both taken a Biblical stand against the sin of homosexuality. As anyone who takes such a stand in the year 2012, they have faced incredible backlash. However, despite lawsuits, threats, being labeled as hate mongers and bigots, they have refused to compromise their beliefs. Sadly, this type of courage is a rarity in these last days, which is one reason why the church is so weak and ineffective, having virtually zero impact on our culture any longer.

Someone else who took a stand for what he believed and wouldn’t be intimidated into backing down was the late President Ronald Reagan. Whether you agreed with his politics or not, the fact is President Reagan was a leader in every sense of the word. A leader is a person with vision, the guts to stand up and declare that vision, the ability to inspire others to follow, the fortitude to persevere despite whatever opposition there may be, and the patience to see that vision become a reality. I want to use the stand against the sin of homosexuality by the Boy Scouts and Chick-fil-A, as well as the life of President Reagan today to challenge you in your personal life to make the most of each day God gives you.

As I have shared with you often, our life on this earth is so brief and over so quick. James calls it a “vapor.” The Bible clearly teaches that tomorrow is promised to none of us. That is why we must make the most of each and every day. There are no do-overs. When this journey is over, it is over, we are not coming back. This is our one and only shot. Understanding that, it should become the desire of each of us to make each day count and live it to the fullest.

Very few people in their life will have the opportunity to become the President of the United States or the leader of a nation. However, EVERY PERSON has the ability to make a difference in this world no matter what you have been called to do. I don’t care if you are 15 or 115, rich or poor, male or female, what color your skin is, YOU can make an impact on this world with your life.

God gives each of us passions, things that we develop a love for throughout our life. God gives each of us gifts, special abilities that come naturally to us. Throughout our life God opens and closes doors. It is through these passions we have, through the gifts we have received and developed, and through the opportunities that life presents us, that each person can make an impact on this world during the course of their life.

You see, God needs His children in every area of life. He calls His children to be teachers, doctors, scientists, astronauts, pilots, police officers, fire fighters, secretaries, bank tellers, garbage collectors, janitors, nurses, homemaker, car dealers, mechanics, farmers, politicians, entertainers, lawyers, writers, stock brokers, and any other profession you can name. Throughout the course of a person’s life, God may call someone to do many different things. The point is, whatever career or profession you are in, you can make a difference. The key is to do your very best each day and realize that your life matters.

Of course, no matter how much we may accomplish in our life, our greatest legacy will be those lives we touch for Christ along our journey. You see my friend, no matter what your passions may be, what your gifts may be, what career or occupation you have, we all have the same purpose in this life. That is to serve and glorify God with our lives. All that we do in this life comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify Him. The money we accumulate, the property we own, all of the things of this world will one day pass away, but those lives we impact for Christ will last for eternity!

I love you and care about you so much. Over their history, the Boy Scouts have impacted millions of lives in a positive way. Chick-fil-A has been a pillar of the communities where they have restaurants and has never backed down on their commitment to close on Sunday in respect for God’s Word that teaches a day of rest once a week.

President Reagan had a full life and used his life to make a difference in this world. The example from his life I want to challenge you with today is that YOU can make a difference in this world too. You may never become President of the United States, but you can make a difference in whatever career or occupation you are in. The key is to wake up each morning, do the very best you can, and as God opens doors in your life be bold enough to walk through them. Don’t compromise your Biblical beliefs no matter what pressure you may come under!

Of course, never forget that no matter where God may have you working during each season of your life, He has placed you there as His ambassador. You are not there by accident, but God has placed you where you are at in life to share with others you meet along your journey the hope and love of Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word. That will be your real legacy when this brief journey is over, those lives you impact for Christ.

The reality of this life is that one day, sooner than any of us expect, it will be over. At that moment we will be instantly in the presence of God our Creator (2 Cor 5:8). At that moment, God is not going to be interested in the name of the church you attended, what your job was in this life, even if you were the President of the Untied States, how much money you have, or how many buildings have your name on them. No my friend, the only thing God is going to be interested in is do you have a personal relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. For those who do, God will say, “enter into my rest.” AMEN!

My word to you today is this. Go out and make an impact in this world in whatever God has called you to do with your life. Make your life matter! Stand tall for God’s Truth and never back down or compromise! Along the way, never forget that you have been called to serve and glorify Him with your life and your lasting legacy will be those lives you touch for Christ along your journey!

Like this:

***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, is “earth day” an event that Christians should completely avoid, since the intent is to unsuccessfully “save the planet,” when we know that any/all such attempts will fail because of the BIBLICAL FACT that because of sin this earth will be destroyed?

ANSWER: I remember when I was about 8 or 9 when the first “earth day” was held. Without a sophisticated understanding I still knew something was wrong. In addition, I remembered at that age two lessons from Sunday School. The first was the fact that man’s sin caused the fall of nature, and second, in the OT the pagan religions that worshipped the earth. Practically and scripturally, I knew this was pure nonsense and ignored it!

What does God say about racism? Over the years, I have written about race on numerous occasions. It is sad that people still play into this trap of satan. Some do so with impure hearts, others, to exploit this issue for personal gain. I am disgusted by a major TV network like NBC’s 24-hour cable network MSNBC and the fact they give 3 minutes of time to a tool of satan like “Rev. Al Sharpton!”

Not only does this network cheer for killing babies and the radical homosexual agenda, but this “faux” Reverend who supports such sin, has a history littered with his exploitation of black people. Add to him a cadre of other race baiters they put on the air throughout the day, and it is no wonder why such an issue is unnecessarily dividing people!

Of course, last Friday the “race-baiter in chief” President Obama had to chime in. Like most everything he does it was not to unite people but divide them! In 2008, then Senator Obama, gave a race speech that did NOTHING to help people or this nation deal with this scourge, since the victory over racism isn’t going to come from the flowery words of a politician whose only motive and goal was to get elected President.

No my friend, if people and this nation are going to truly get victory over racism, it has got to come from an understanding of what God says about this issue and by people who are willing to follow what God says in the Bible.

If then Senator Obama had intended to really take a leadership role on the race issue, educate the nation and provide real answers for how to get victory over this inhumane way people treat others who are different than they are, then he would have told people what God says about racism. God says MUCH about this issue, but Senator Obama didn’t find it worth including even one verse of Scripture.

*THIS IS WHY I TELL YOU SO OFTEN THAT IT WILL NOT BE A POLITICIAN, BUT A MAN GOD HAS CALLED TO LEAD PEOPLE IN THE WAYS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!

Like in all matters of life, when we need the Truth, the real answers, we have to go to our final authority in all matters, the Bible. One of the greatest weapons of satan is division. The enemy has figured out every way imaginable to divide men. Since virtually the beginning of the human experience, man has fallen into satan’s trap of division based on the color of a person’s skin or their ethnic origin.

While racism has always been an issue in this country, the fact is it is an issue in every country. This divisive mindset is not unique to the United States. Sadly, in some form it is practiced everywhere on the planet. The fact is, there is only one race, the human race!

People may have white skin, black skin, brown skin, yellow skin, red skin, or any other color skin, they may have different ethnic backgrounds, but they are all part of the same race, the human race! The Bible says that ALL MEN are created in the image of God. God created all men equal. I tell you frequently that satan is the great perverter.

It is satan, not God, who seeks to divide men by their skin color, ethnicity, financial means, and any other way you can dream up to divide people. God created men equal to live in harmony with one another. It is satan who introduced division into the human experience.

In God’s plan of redemption, there is no division. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world, ALL men. It says that WHOSOEVER BELIEVES. That is a universal call to ALL MEN regardless the color of their skin or where they live. In 1 John 2:2, it talks about how Jesus laid down his life for EVERYONE.

Everyone means ALL MEN, the entire human race. This satanically inspired way we have of dividing ourselves through racism, prejudice, and discrimination all make a mockery of what Christ did on the cross. He faithfully and obediently went to that cross to die for the sins of ALL MANKIND.

You also have the Biblical example of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Again, racism is not a new phenomena to the United States in our history. Forms of racism have been part of the human expedience since the very beginning. Jesus commanded us in John 13:34 to love each other as He loves us. He used people of other ethnic backgrounds often in His parables. One of the most powerful is the story of the Good Samaritan.

If you remember, the Jewish religious leaders passed by the man who had been robbed and beaten and laying on the side of the road, leaving him to die. It was the Samaritan, the non-Jew, who honored God by stopping and ministering to the needs of the injured man. Don’t forget, it was Jesus who told his followers to make disciples of EVERY NATION, reaffirming the value of all men.

I love you and care about you so much. If President Obama had wanted to talk about racism and move hearts, THIS is the message he should have delivered. It would have been a message from God’s Word that laid the Biblical foundation all men are created equal and those who seek to divide men by the color of their skin are not of God, but of satan!

Those who truly seek to serve and follow the Lord are not looking to divide men but unite them. A true follower of Christ understands that God created all men equal, that we are all part of the human race. Racism, prejudice, and discrimination are NOT of God, since we are hurting someone God created and loves and Jesus died for! Sadly, 11 am on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week in this nation.

That is truly a shame since the one sanctuary from racism should be the church. Yet sadly, most churches don’t lead the culture, they allow the culture to lead them. So rather than modeling what God says about this issue, in far too many churches, they perpetuate this ungodly attitude men have for other men who look different than them.

They better wake up since when we die, and stand at the gates of Heaven, there won’t be a line for whites, or a line for blacks, or a line for Asians, or a line for Hispanics, or a line for those from the Middle East, just like there won’t be a line for Catholics, or Baptists, or Methodists, or Pentecostals. No my friend, when you take your last breath there will only be two lines. One for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and one for those who have rejected Christ!

The Bible proclaims those who reject Christ will be cast into the flames of hell for all eternity, and those who know Jesus will be welcomed into their eternal home with God their Creator in Heaven. At that moment, Galatians 3:38 will be realized, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus!”